Meridian Trust Bank Limited

Public Statement - Meridian Trust Bank Limited

This statement is made in order to warn investors and others against dealing with unauthorised financial services providers.

Meridian Trust Bank Limited ("Meridian")

The purpose of this statement is to advise the public that Meridian has not received authorisation to conduct financial service or deposit-taking business within the meaning of the laws stated below.

The Commission has recently become aware of a website, www.meridiantrustbank.com that implies that Meridian is subject to regulation and states that it has an office in Jersey.

The Jersey Financial Services Commission ("the Commission") has issued this public statement under Article 22 of the Financial Services (Jersey) Law 1998, as amended ("the Financial Services Law") and Article 45B of the Banking Business (Jersey) Law 1991, as amended ("the Banking Business Law").

The Commission wishes it to be known that:

1. Meridian has never been registered, or applied for registration, under the Financial Services Law. Therefore any financial service business, as defined in Article 2 of the Financial Services Law and carried out since 1 July 1999, is a breach of Article 6 of the Financial Services Law.

2. Meridian has never been registered, or applied for registration, under the Banking Business Law. Therefore any deposit-taking business, as defined in Article 3 of the Banking Business Law and carried out since 1 October 1991, is a breach of Article 7 of the Banking Business Law.

3. All regulated businesses are listed on the Commission's web site at www.jerseyfsc.org.

Any person who has had dealings with Meridian is requested to contact the Commission.

Gary Godel
Director Enforcement
Jersey Financial Services Commission

Nelson House,
David Place,
St. Helier,
Jersey,
JE4 8TP.

21 February 2003